Theater Royal Covent Garden

Theater Royal, Covent Garden(Eng. Theater Royal, Covent Garden) is a theater in London, serving as a venue for opera and ballet performances since 1946, the home stage of the London Royal Opera and the London Royal Ballet. It is located in the Covent Garden area, after which it received its name.

The modern building of the theater is the third one located on this site. It was built in 1858 and underwent a major renovation in the 1990s. The Royal Opera House seats 2268 spectators. Proscenium width 12.2 m, height 14.8 m.

First theater on the site of the park located here before, it was built at the turn of the 1720s-1730s at the initiative of the director and impresario John Rich and opened on December 7, 1732 with a performance based on William Congreve's play “That's how they act in the world” (Eng. The Way of the World). Before the performance, the actors entered the theater in a solemn procession, carrying Rich in their arms.

For nearly a century, the Covent Garden Theater was one of two London drama theatres, since as early as 1660 King Charles II allowed the staging of dramatic performances in only two theaters (the second was at least famous Theater Drury Lane). In 1734, the first ballet, Pygmalion, was staged at Covent Garden, with Marie Salle in the lead role, dancing, contrary to tradition, without a corset.

At the end of 1734, operas began to be staged in Covent Garden - above all, the works of George Frideric Handel, a former music director theater: his early, albeit heavily revised, opera The Faithful Shepherd (Italian: Il pastor fido) was staged first, followed in January 1735 by New Opera"Ariodant" and others. In 1743, Handel's oratorio "Messiah" was performed here, and later the performance of oratorios on religious themes during Great Lent became a tradition in the theater. Operas by the composer Thomas Arn were staged here for the first time, as well as operas by his son.

Second theatre. In 1808 the first theater in Covent Garden was destroyed by fire. The new theater building was erected in the first nine months of 1809 according to the design of Robert Smork and opened on September 18 with a production of Macbeth. Theater management raised ticket prices to recoup the cost of the new building, but for two months the audience disrupted the performances with constant shouting, clapping and whistling, as a result of which the theater management was forced to return prices to the previous level.

In the first half of the 19th century, operas, ballets, dramatic performances with the participation of outstanding tragedians Edmund Kean and Sarah Siddons, pantomime and even clownery (the famous clown Joseph Grimaldi performed here) alternated on the stage of Covent Garden. The situation changed after, in 1846, as a result of a conflict at Her Majesty's Theater - the London Opera House - a significant part of his troupe, led by conductor Michael Costa, moved to Covent Garden; the hall was reconstructed, and on April 6, 1847, the theater reopened under the name of the Royal Italian Opera with a production of Rossini's opera Semiramide. However, less than nine years later, on March 5, 1856, the theater burned down for the second time.

Third theater Covent Garden was built in 1857-1858. designed by Edward Middleton Barry and opened on May 15, 1858 with a production of Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots. During World War I, the theater was requisitioned and used as a warehouse. During World War II, the theater building had a dance hall.

In 1946, ballet returned to the walls of Covent Garden: on February 20, the theater opened with Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty in an extravagant production by Oliver Messel. At the same time, the creation of an opera company began, for which the Covent Garden Theater would become a home stage, and on January 14, 1947, the Covent Garden Opera Company (the future Royal Opera in London) presented Bizet's opera Carmen here.

Facade from Bow Street

Covent Garden Terrace

The Little Costume Shop The Royal Opera House

Opera "Don Carlos" by Giuseppe Verdi. Royal Opera House of London (Covent Garden)

About 600 performances are held in the city every year, ranging from the classics of the world genre to contemporary plays. The Covent Garden Theater is the most Grand Theatre throughout the UK. Initially, it was built as a drama theater, but a year later the premiere of the opera took place here, making the theater an opera house.

It is located in London on the street of the same name and serves to show opera productions. it home theater Royal Opera and Ballet. At the very beginning, several troupes held dramatic performances here and there were even circus performances. Later they were joined by musical performances. Since 1847, only opera and ballet performances have been staged on the stage.

The modern building of Covent Garden is the third in a row. It was founded in 1858. Thirty years later, a complete restoration of the building takes place. The room with the stage had a four-tiered structure and could accommodate 2268 people. The very first theater in this area was founded around 1720 as conceived by director John Rich. The opening was marked by the premiere dramatic play. At the beginning of the show, all the staff carried the director into the hall in their arms. For almost a hundred years, the theater has shown only drama. In 1660, Charles II allowed only two theaters to stage dramatic performances. Among them is Covent Garden. In 1734, for the first time, a production of Pygmalion was staged in it, in which famous actress Maria Salle performs without a corset, which did not correspond to the canons of that time.

In the same year, operas began to be staged at the Royal Theater. The pioneer was the opera of the famous cultural figure Handel called "The Faithful Shepherd". Performances on the theme of religion held during Lent were popular. Later it became a tradition.

In 1808, the Covent Garden Theater was completely destroyed, and in 1809 a new building was erected in its place. It opened with a performance of Macbeth. The theater owners had to raise the price of tickets in order to recoup the cost of building the building. However, the audience did not like it, and for several months the performances were disrupted. As a result, the owners gave up and reduced the cost to the entry level.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the theater had no specific focus and showed opera, ballet and drama. Here you could even see circus performers with acrobatic performances. But the situation changed in 1846 due to disagreements in the city opera house. Almost all of its composition with the conductor moved to Covent Garden. In this regard, the hall is undergoing reconstruction. And again, a year later, the theater once again opens with an opera by the inimitable Rossini. But after ten years, it burns again.

The third theater is rebuilt during the year and opens the season with the play "Huguenots". During the First World War, it was used as a warehouse for food. After a while, dance classes are held there.

Only after the war did the theater return to its activities. In 1946, the audience saw the "Sleeping Beauty" in an unusual interpretation. The following year, the renewed composition of the troupe puts on Bizet's "Carmen". From this moment begins new life operas.

Guided tours of London's Covent Garden Theater

Behind the Curtain Tour

Currently, everyone can visit the theater "behind the scenes". Here you will be told about the inner life of the troupe and will be shown how the artists prepare for performances.

Tour "Velvet, Gilding and Glamour"

On this tour, you will be allowed to climb to the very tops of the theater and look at the theater from a "bird's eye view". Look at the backstage, lighting equipment and other technical points. You will also be shown the lounges for high-ranking persons, which are still in use today.

A statue of a young ballerina on Bowu Street in the UK capital bows her head in front of the facade of a building whose history is worthy of everyone's attention. Covent Garden is a simplified name for the whole complex in the eponymous district of the city, which belongs to the Royal Opera House. Thanks in large part to this wonderful architectural ensemble London has become one of the centers of world theatrical art.

A nice bonus only for our readers - a discount coupon when paying for tours on the site until August 31:

• AF500guruturizma - promo code for 500 rubles for tours from 40,000 rubles
• AFTA2000Guru - promo code for 2,000 rubles. for tours to Thailand from 100,000 rubles.

And you will find many more advantageous offers from all tour operators on the website. Compare, choose and book tours at the best prices!

Opening of the first theater

Until 1731, this area was occupied by the city park and the adjoining nunnery of Westminster Abbey. Designed by James Shepherd and the Venetian artist Jacopo Amigoni, who designed the interior, John Rich built the first theater. At that time, the dimensions were quite impressive, the hall accommodated 1897 spectators. The celebration of the opening took place in December 1732 with W. Congreve's comedy "Thus they do in the world." The artists carried John Rich onto the stage, where he was bathed in a standing ovation, welcoming the emergence of such a major cultural institution.

You may also be interested in other articles:

As host, John Rich was a real tyrant for the troupe, demanding and strict. A lot of legends and all sorts of tales about him live within these walls. Performances were successful, brought a good income.

One of the first authors of serious musical productions on this stage was Handel. Most of the works written by him since 1735 were first played at Covent Garden. He was friends with Rich, and after his death in 1759, he bequeathed his organ to him, which was placed in the hall. On September 20, 1808, a terrible fire broke out in the building, which destroyed both the manuscripts of the great composer and his instrument. More than twenty firefighters died under the destruction.

Second theater architect Robert Smirk

Robert Smirk worked on the plan for the second theatre, the construction of which began immediately. It was very famous architect in England, famous for the creation of many significant London buildings. Just three months after the incident, the Prince of Wales (the future George IV) laid the foundation stone.

Guide: to London for 3 days - for those who want to have time to see the most interesting places.

The opening of the temple of Melpomene was marked by Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" on September 18, 1809. Renovated hall enlarged in size, accommodated 3,000 spectators, and delighted with a dizzying finish. Its rapid construction required considerable financial investments. Based on this, ticket prices were also slightly increased. The audience was indignant, and for two months they disrupted the performances, which created unbearable conditions for the actors. In the end, the administration gave in, everything was as before.

In 1847, when the troupe of the Italian Opera, which had previously performed at the Haymarket, joined the line-up, and the transformation of the hall, the author of which was Bendetto Albano, the season opened with Rossini's Semiramide. Covent Garden was now called the Royal Italian Opera. Many of the greatest creations of glorious writers have seen the vaults of this hall. But on March 5, 1856, a fire broke out in the theater again, the roof collapsed after about half an hour.

Only a year later, funds were collected for its restoration.

The third theater in the spirit of the Italian Renaissance

The third theater designed by Edward M. Barry was built in short time Federico Guy. In six months, the building in the spirit of the Italian Renaissance has grown. From the previous one, only two wonderful bas-reliefs on the facade remained. Meyerbeer's Huguenots opened the renovated theater on May 15, 1858. And in 1892, when they began to give as many operas in other languages ​​as in Italian, the Cover Garden was renamed the Royal Opera theatre. All year round life was in full swing under its roof. Between seasons, lectures, political speeches, balls, films were shown here.

Theater during the wars

Only during World War I the building was used as a warehouse. During World War II there was dance hall. With great difficulty, in 1946, ballet returned to the famous stage. On February 20, Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty was staged at the theatre. The success of the opera and ballet groups was growing, and the building was dilapidated, and no longer satisfied the needs of the public and artists. In 1997, the troupe went on tour, and the theater was closed for reconstruction.

Covent Garden today

In 1999, Covent Garden opened its doors to guests in a new way, expanded, modernized and beautiful. The stage was enlarged, a backstage area was added, a modern computer equipment. Two small halls, studios for rehearsals, office space, bars for the audience, a luxurious restaurant.

Tours for tourists

For those who wish to get to know wonderful world the inner life of the theater, excursions are now organized. You can see the preparations for the evening performance, or visit the Royal Lounge, see the workshop for making scenery and costumes, by visiting one of the proposed tours, paying about 12 £. On Sundays, the whole family gets acquainted with the features theatrical professions. Often rising stars give free concerts, invitations to which must be reserved in advance.

The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden is crowned with its highly artistic productions, has great prestige in theatrical circles. He gave a “start in life” to a large number of world-class stars. Besides, it's amazing architectural monument London.

Theaters are very different: famous all over the world, legends of one town, one-day ones, beloved for all time and longing for their former greatness. But, you see, there are few among them that theater fans from all over the world would aspire to. We want to tell you a little interesting about such an example. About the Theater Royal, Covent Garden.

Nice to meet you, Covent Garden!

Theater Covent Garden is loved not only by our compatriots. In what country the Covent Garden theater is located, not only notorious fans of art know. The English Royal Ballet and Opera is world renowned. The theater is located in London at 7 Bow Street, WC2E 9DD.

Covent Garden is a venue for both opera and ballet performances. It is here that the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera perform. It got its name simply - by the name of the district where it is located.

The theater cannot boast of impressive dimensions: it is designed for 2268 visitors; the width of its stage is 12.2 m, and the height above it is 14.8 m. It is famous for others - history, stars that shone here, spectators, immortal works that remain forever in memory. The patron of the Royal Opera is the Prince of Wales, and the patron of the Royal Ballet is the Queen of Great Britain herself.

Not everyone knows that three buildings had the honor of being called the Covent Garden Theatre. Let's touch on their history.

First theater

The initiator to build the future building of the Royal Theater of Covent Garden on the site of the park was the impresario and director D. Rich. Construction was carried out at the turn of the 1720-1730s. The theater was opened on December 7, 1732 with the play "Thus they do in the world" based on the work of W. Congreve.

In 1734, the first ballet was shown - it turned out to be Pygmalion. He was remembered for the fact that the dancer Maria Salle, who performed the main part, entered the stage, contrary to tradition, without a corset.

Since the end of 1734, operas began to be staged - the first was the work of G. F. Handel "The Faithful Shepherd". Then his own oratorio was presented on stage. Since then, the performance of such works during Lent has become a tradition of the Covent Garden Theatre.

For almost a century it was one of two (the other was "Drury Lane") London. The reason for this "diversity" is that in 1660 Charles II permitted dramatic performances in only two theaters in the capital.

The history of the building ended in 1808 - it was destroyed by fire.

Second theater

The new home of the Covent Garden Theater was erected in 1809; the author of the project was R. Smerk. On September 18 of the same year, it was opened by the play "Macbeth". The cost of construction cost the administration a pretty penny, which is why it was decided to compensate for it by increasing the cost of tickets. In response to this, the respected audience disrupted the acting of the actors with whistling, stomp, screams for 2 months! The "war" ended with the price of tickets being reduced to the previous level.

Throughout the first half of the Golden Age, the repertoire of the Covent Garden Theater in London was very diverse: operas, ballets, dramas, incl. with the participation of tragedians S. Siddons and E. Keane, pantomime and even clowning with D. Grimaldi. But in 1846, due to a conflict at the Royal Theater on the Haymarket, a large part of his opera troupe settled in Covent Garden with M. Costa. As a result, the hall was reconstructed so that in early April 1847 it opened under the sign of the Royal Italian Opera. The premiere was Rossini's Semiramide.

Nine years later, a fire destroyed the Covent Garden Theater for the second time.

Third theater

The construction of the third theater, which has come down to our times, was carried out in 1856-1857. The architect was E. Barry. Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots opened it in 1858.

It is known that during the First World War the majestic theater was a warehouse, and during the Second World War it was a dance floor. The revival began in 1945. The troupe of Ninette de Valois was declared as the national ballet and ordered to move from Sadler's Wells here.

In the winter of 1946, the theater was opened by The Sleeping Beauty, the famous ballet by P. I. Tchaikovsky (staged by O. Messel). Then there was the matter of creating an opera troupe. In January 1947, she performed the opera "Carmen" by Bizet. Since then, it was again possible to talk about the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Theater today

Thus, today we have before us the third building in Covent Garden. It managed to survive two reconstructions - in 1975 and 1990. Their goal is to improve appearance, increasing the number of spectator seats. Also during these renovations, the territories of the old market and the Flower Hall moved to the theater. Two differently designed entrances were also decorated, which symbolize different eras in the fate of Covent Garden.

Today, the theater's proscenium is 12 meters wide and about 15 meters high. The hall is designed in the form of a horseshoe with four levels. This innovation allows more than 2,200 spectators to comfortably accommodate in it. The office, rehearsal rooms, studio were also reconstructed, new acoustic equipment was installed. A scoreboard with titles is installed above the proscenium, and an LCD screen is mounted in the backs of some seats in the stalls, where the librettos of the productions are broadcast.

The average ticket price for a performance is £185. Except theatrical performances, another type of cultural leisure is organized here - excursions. During them you can see Covent Garden from the very high point, get behind the scenes and find out how the preparations for the evening performance are going on, get into the Royal Lounge, still frequented by royal people.

AT last years the theater pleases the audience with up to 150 productions in one season! The most famous are "Carmen" by Bizet, "Tosca" by Puccini, "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" by D. Shostakovich. The parts were performed by well-known Italian, Russian, German, Argentinean voices - R. Fleming, P. Domingo, J. Cura, C. Bartoli, J. Kaufmann, A. Netrebko.

Modern repertoire

Today's repertoire of the theater is immortal works:

• "Sleeping Beauty".
• "Giselle".
• "Turandot".
• "Don Juan".
• "Manon".
• "Winter's Tale".
• "Faust".
• "La traviata".
• "Woman without a shadow"
• "Daughter of the Regiment"

Covent Garden, the Royal Ballet and Opera House, rebuilt three times, is known throughout the world for high-profile premieres and its troupe. World-class guest artists also sparkle here. If fate brings you to London, we advise you not to deprive Covent Garden of attention: go to the immortal classical production or take a tour.

London is the recognized cultural capital of the World and Europe, its cultural and theatrical life rich and varied. More than six hundred performances premiere each year in London, from Shakespeare's immortal classics to Lloyd Webber's commercial musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar.
The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden is the largest opera house in the UK, originally built as a drama theatre, but two years after the opening, the first opera premiered on the theater stage. This opera in 1734 was Handel's The Faithful Shepherd, and since 1847, after the greatest success of the opera. "Semiramide" by G. Rossini, Covent Garden becomes only an opera house

Theater history

December 7, 1732 entered the history of world culture as the date of discovery in London drama theater Covent Garden, which got its name from the square on which it was located.

Theater opening

Opened the prominent theater theater actor and impresario of that time, John Rich, the first performance that marked the opening of the theater with its premiere was William Congreve's play "Secular Customs".
Georg Friedrich Handel for a long time remained the musical director of the theater; in addition to the opera The Faithful Shepherd, the premieres of his other works, such as the opera Ariodant, took place in Convention Garden.
In 1743 with theater stage For the first time, the oratorio "Messiah" was performed, and subsequently its performance on Easter holidays became an unshakable tradition at the Convention Garden Theater.

Second theater

In 1808, the building of the Convention Garden Theater was destroyed by a severe fire. Robert Smerk designed new project, according to which the theater was restored in just nine months.
On September 18, 1809, the reopened Covent Garden Theater was marked by the production of Macbeth. In order to recoup the cost of building the theater, the management decided to increase the cost of tickets several times, however, the dissatisfied audience disrupted the performances for two months, boycotting such a decision. Ticket prices had to be returned to their previous level.
From 1809 until 1846, the repertoire of the Covent Garden Theater was diverse, it consisted of opera, dramatic performances and even pantomime and clownery. A conflict at Her Majesty's Theater led to a change in the repertoire, the result of this conflict was the fact that half of the troupe moved to Covent Garden.
The theater underwent a large-scale reconstruction, it became known as the Royal Italian Opera, and the repertoire has changed accordingly.

Third theater

On March 5, 1856, the theater building was destroyed for the second time by a terrible fire. The project of the third version of the theater was developed by the architect Edward Middleton Barry, its construction lasted from 1857 to 1858, the third opening of the theater took place on May 15, 1858, the first performance in the new theater was the opera Les Huguenots by Meyebert. In 1892 the theater became known as the Royal Opera House.
To the first world war a military warehouse was arranged in the theater building; during the Second World War, a dance hall was arranged in the theater hall.
Only on February 20, 1946, the premiere of P.I. Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Sleeping Beauty" took place in the restored theater, new premiere Bizet's opera Carmen.

Contemporary theater

A full-scale reconstruction in the theater took place in the 90s of the XX century, modern theater accommodates 2256 spectators. The reconstruction made it possible to update the brilliant appearance of the theater, two separate entrances created during the reconstruction symbolize two different eras of the theater.
Among the most significant productions of the 20th century are Elektra (1910), Boris Godunov (1928) (the title role is F Chaliapin), the opera Queen of Spades"(1961). Since 1962, the part of Aida has been performed by Galina Vishnevskaya.
Since 1995, the Verdi Festival has been held annually at the Covent Garden Theater, which has become a tradition.

Theater tours

Tour "Behind the scenes of the theater"

Today, the Royal Theater Covent Garden invites everyone to take a fascinating journey "Behind the scenes of the theater", to get acquainted with the inner life of the theater, preparing for the evening performance. The cost of the excursion "Behind the scenes of the theater" for adults is 12.00 GBP, for pensioners and students - 11.00 GBP, for children - 8.50 GBP. The duration of this tour is 1 hour 15 minutes.

Tour "Velvet, Gilding and Glamour"

This tour allows you to see the theater from the highest point, the golden and red lights that replaced the old gas lamps, the curtain on the stage, will introduce you to the architecture and history of the theater. During the tour, the Royal Recreation Room is demonstrated, which is used by the Highest Persons today,
The cost of the tour "Behind the scenes of the theater" for adults is 9.50 GBP, for pensioners and students - 9.00 GBP, for children - 7.50 GBP. The duration of this tour is 45 minutes.

Theater ticket prices:

From 15 to 185 GBP

How to get to the theater

Address: Bow Street, Covent Garden;
Bus: routes No. 9, 13, 15, 23, 139, 153
Covent Garden metro station